If You Want to See What’s Good About America…. Go Camping!

Now that we are in our third month of full time rv living, one thing has been constant for us in our travels.

That one thing is not the weather as we have been caught off guard a time or two by the sudden changes.

It most certainly is not the mapping programs. Which no matter which one we use, at some point Andrea and I will usually ask ourselves why are we on this street?

The one thing we have found that we can count on from the farms to the vineyards. From the museum and bowling alley parking lots to the state parks to private campgrounds.

All these places offer us such different experiences, yet they all have one thing in common.

Nice people!

Jerry Lee Young, Idaho Heritage Museum.

That’s right in all our travels from Colorado to Idaho and all the way to south Florida the one constant we seem to find everywhere are nice people.

Not nice people of a certain race. Not nice people of certain social standing. Not nice people depending on the size and brand of their camper.

The people we have met while traveling have all been nice, polite, and generous with their time, words, and assistance when needed.

From our angel who helped us when we locked ourselves out of our camper (see another blog for that story).

To the army couple we shared whiskey with to the couple from Sweden who were traveling the United States in a van.

We are all from different backgrounds and have different reasons for seeking this lifestyle, yet all of this is accepted.

It is genuinely fun to hear the stories, see the rigs, and get an understanding for their life beyond the surface of what we would see in passing by each other on a city street.

James Simon our “neighbor” for a week in the Salt Flats of Utah.

We have been humbled by the generosity of strangers. Indebted to be sure to pay it forward to the next camper who finds themselves locked out or unprepared for that flat tire.

This community has accepted us despite our inadequacies, rookie mistakes, and our humble beginnings.

So, if you want to see what’s good about America, turn off the tv, leave the cell phones at home, and go camping for the weekend.

Sit by that fire. Talk to your neighbor. Lend a helping hand to a perfect stranger.

Then you will be the lead character in the story of someone else’s live about what’s good in America.

Not only can you meet new nice people by camping. You can travel to family and reconnect with them as well. :)